1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal display element, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for controlling the same.
2. Description of Background Art
Super-molecular materials that are formed by a phenomenon causing self-aggregation or self-organization of molecules by intermolecular actions of non-covalent bonding molecules such as a hydrogen bond have been receiving attention in recent years. In particular, a material called “liquid crystal physical gel” is receiving attention as a novel functional material, because the liquid crystal physical gel contains liquid crystals of a functional fluid as a solvent and therefore possesses optical and electrical characteristics of liquid crystals and soft solid characteristics as of a physical gel.
Physical gel is formed from fibrous aggregations of molecules by intermolecular action such as a hydrogen bond. The fibrous aggregations form a network and are gelatinized by adsorbing a solvent in the network to form physical gel. Micro intermolecular action of the physical gel changes according to external stimulus and external environment, which may result in changes in the form of gel aggregation and gel organization. These changes ultimately cause macroscopic property changes in the physical gel. Therefore, a liquid crystal physical gel of which the form of aggregation and organization can be regulated by an external stimulus is expected to become a novel multi-functional material or high function material.
The display functioning layer of a liquid crystal element is generally composed of a liquid crystal substance filled into a cell for the liquid crystal element formed from two sheets of substrates. Alignment of liquid crystal molecules is controlled by utilizing the nature of liquid crystal molecules to align in the rubbing direction of an alignment membrane provided on the internal surface of the substrate.
A liquid crystal composition comprising a liquid crystal compound and a liquid crystal alignment controller that gelatinizes itself and can regulate alignment of the liquid crystal compound to form fibrous aggregates that are aligned in the same direction as the liquid crystal compound in a state in which the liquid crystal compound is aligned in one direction has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 46447/2001).
However, A liquid crystal composition possessing characteristics of regulating the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules itself, that is, alignment direction self-regulating characteristics, has not been known.
The present inventors have conducted studies on a gelatinizable liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal compound and a gelling agent that can form a gelatinizable mixture when mixed with the liquid crystal compound. As a result, the inventors have found that a certain liquid crystal composition can exhibit alignment direction self-regulating characteristics under specific conditions and that by utilizing the alignment direction self-regulating characteristics in a liquid crystal element using this liquid crystal composition it is possible to realize a state in which the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a direction that differs from the rubbing direction of the alignment membrane in the liquid crystal element. These findings have led to the completion of the present invention.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel liquid crystal composition capable of exhibiting alignment direction self-control characteristics and controlling the direction of alignment of liquid crystal molecules by itself in a denatured state, whereby it is possible to align liquid crystal molecules in a direction that differs from the rubbed direction in a display-functioning layer of a liquid crystal display element.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display element having a display-functioning layer that possesses non-denatured display-functioning regions of the above liquid crystal composition or denatured display-functioning regions of a denatured liquid crystal composition formed by denaturing the above liquid crystal composition.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display element having a display-functioning layer that possesses both non-denatured display-functioning regions of the above liquid crystal composition and denatured display-functioning regions of a denatured liquid crystal composition formed by denaturing the above liquid crystal composition, a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal element, and a method for controlling the same.